The Dream Warrior
by christinaspencer
Summary: A young girl with the powers of precognitive dreams and electricity manipulation, desperately seeks help from Max Headroom and Edison Carter.


Max Headroom Fan Fiction

The Dream Warrior

(part 1 of a 3-part trilogy)

by Kristine Quick

Rated M

This story originally appeared in the Fan Fiction section of

Max Headroom and all related characters is a copyright of Warner Bros.

Part 1

Twenty years ago a bold idea was announced in colleges around the country.

"The future will be grim indeed. Let us prepare our children for this apocalyptic future. We can do this by genetically altering them, and thereby programming them with the special abilities they will need to survive this harsh new world."

This was the question posed by a rather offbeat psychology professor at the University Of Southern Freamont. He published the full text of his lecture in several science journals. The article "The Choice Of A New Generation", met with national scorn.

Amazingly, some students took him seriously. It is not known how many participated in these ambitious and ethically questionable experiences, but the number is probably close to 1,000 people.

And what happened to the children?

2004

Sunrise Orphanage

Christina's eyes flashed open. "The Man in the TV! He can help me!"

Earlier that day, a middle-aged couple had dropped by the orphanage. "We've wanted to be parents for so long. We want you to complete our family. We're adopting you, and are going to take you home with us."

No, they were not. She'd been having dreams about them, and her dreams predicted the future.

These people were enemies! They didn't love her. They didn't care to give her a family and home. Somehow, they knew she had special powers, and the Stetsons only wanted to exploit her!

Who could help her? As an orphan, she was no better than a Blank. She had no rights. Not until she became an adult in three years, and could register her own identity.

She couldn't wait three years. She needed help now!

That's when she dreamed about the man in the tv. He lived inside the tv, and he said his name was Max. He was very surprised to find her in his home. "This isn't a place you can just walk into!" he told her firmly. "Did-did Bryce make you? Or are you a v-v-virus?"

She explained that she wasn't a virus or a computer construct. This was her dream-self. And this was why she needed help. "There are people who know I have powers, and they're trying to kidnap me. I went to sleep, and I called for someone to help me, and… I found you."

Max swirled around her, and the colored lines followed.

"Injustice! The strong preying on the w-w-w-weak! The kidnapping and exploitation of lonely orphans! This is an outrage-an outrage!… is that what's going on?"

"YES! Can you help me?"

"Well-well… no! But, I-I-I know someone who can! His name is Edison Carter. He's a c-c-crusader for truth, justice… and ratings."

The dream melted away, and a new, more horrible one, took its place. It was a vision of a horribly deformed man. The right side of his face was charred almost down to the bone, and he was coming after Christina. He called her a monster, and tried to kill her.

Christina pulled her blanket around her shoulders, as tears fell from her eyes. If the Stetsons were so virtuous, why did they send this maniac after her? She couldn't help that she had these strange abilities; the power to see reality in her dreams, and the power to control her own electrical field and fire energy bolts from her hands. She didn't even know where these abilities came from. The only connection she had to her past, was a book left with her at the orphanage, a paperback called Wuthering Heights.

What was she to do? The Stetsons were coming for her tomorrow? Should she run away, and try to find her new friend, Max? Maybe his friend Edison, too?

That was a good idea. She threw back the covers and crept from the bed…

Part 2

TWO DAYS LATER

Bryce came out of his lab into the hallway, where Edison and Murray were waiting for him.

"Well?" Murray queried.

"Was he infected?" Edison asked hurriedly.

"Max has… created an imaginary friend." Bryce told them simply.

"You have got to be kidding!" Edison exclaimed.

Oh, that's all we need" Murray groaned "Does this mean we're gonna have to put up with him going on and on about this fantasy-girl of his?"

"It's just a stage! He'll get over it. Just… go ahead and humor him… and don't act like it's that big of a deal. Creating an imaginary friend is a natural part of a person's development… actually, this is cool, don't you think? Max is developing in much the same way humans do."

And with that, Bryce returned to his lab and locked the door.

Oh, how he really wanted to believe that. The good news was that Max was not infected with a virus. The bad news… or more appropriately, the WEIRD news… was that there appeared to be some unusual electric waves present whenever Max talked to this "imaginary friend". Bryce downloaded them, and realized they were very similar to the brain waves that occur during a person's REM cycle.

A FEW WEEKS LATER

Edison Carter was off to cover another story. This one was apparently about the city's largest crack-house. It was located in a warehouse at the north end of the city. It was arsoned last night, and the metrocops were there to arrest whomever was found returning to the burned out building, figuring them to be the drug traffickers and looters.

Once on the ground, Edison departed, quickly followed by fellow reporter, Angela Barry. Edison and Angela walked quickly up the ramp. To the side of them were crumbling walls, and…

"Edison, did you see that" Theora asked over the intercom.

"Where?"

"Ok, take 5 steps back, and swing your camera to the right… that's it."

Edison peered into an open space, and saw a pair of wide eyes looking at him intently. Angela dropped to her knees and crawled closer.

"It's a girl… hey, you ok?"

"Drug trafficker?! I'll get her out of there," a metrocop yelled, and he readied his rifle and fired.

"No!" Edison yelled, but it was too late. Angela jerked back. The gun roared as the cop sprayed a healthy dose of bullets into the building. Edison approached him from the side and pulled the gun from his hands. "You're new on the force aren't you?!" He went back to the wall and looked in.

The girl was still alive, cowering in another corner and crying softly.

"You ok?" he asked. There was no response. "Sorry about the gunfire… were you hit?"

He pulled back and whispered to Angela, "Help me get her out." He went back to the wall, and poked a flashlight in for a better view. He was careful not to shine it directly on her.

The girl was hurt. He could see that she had a bad gash on her right leg. Her face was red and puffy, and it looked as if some of her hair had been singed off.

"Please go away," she asked softly "I'll be ok."

"Oh, I believe you… but I don't believe that leg of yours. Let me help you out of there."

"I don't need help! NO! LET GO!"

But Angela already had a firm grip on the girl's arm. "It's alright, sweetheart. We're going to help you."

Angela maneuvered the girl through a large hole in the wall. The girl didn't struggle, but begged repeatedly to be released.

"Edison… this girl is burning up… it's ok, honey. It's alright."

"Please… please let me go." The poor thing kept wringing her hands nervously.

Edison felt her head, and pulled her face up to meet his. He reached for her hands, and she quickly shoved them behind her back. "We're gonna take you to the hospital. You need medical attention for that leg… ok?"

She WAS really hot. It surprised him how she could be so feverish and so alert. Edison smiled kindly at her, but she wasn't comforted at all.

Christina was not comforted at all.

Part 3

THE NEXT DAY

"I-I-I don't understand why you like reading. Wouldn't you rather-rather watch television? Wouldn't you rather watch me?" Max swirled around her. ""You know it's too bad that-that there's no 'This book belongs to' written in there. That might help us find your family.""

"It is here. Written at chapter 17… Laurie Spencer. She has to be my mother."

Bryce shut off the machine. "Incredible… She's not imaginary."

Edison leaned forward in his chair. "The Stetson's will be sending someone to pick her up at the hospital today."

"Hey-hey!" Max flipped onto the screen in front of Bryce. "That was supposed to be a private-a private conversation!"

"But, don't you want us to help her?"

"Well, don't bother going to-to-to the hospital. I checked her room and she isn't there. She must have ran away again."

Edison jumped up. "Keep in touch, Bryce. Tell me where to go!"

"Max," Bryce leaned closer "Find her."

"Ok-ok… but don't forget who saw-saw-saw her first."

OUTSIDE THE HOSPITAL

Christina hid behind a large pillar, and she watched as John argued with the nurse about Christina's disappearance.

"The Stetsons' lawyer will be contacting you! Count on it. Don't be surprised if you and the rest of this lousy staff are unemployed in 2 weeks!"

Christina swallowed hard, and dashed down the corridor to a back exit.

It was bad enough that she accidentally set the warehouse on fire with her power, now an entire hospital staff would lose their jobs over her.

"Hi There! You know, you look a lot different outside of the television."

Christina whirled around. Behind her, was a TV set, and Max's image smiling at her.

"Shhh! You'll give me away!"

"Give you away? Never-never! You're my fantasy girl! Wait! I-I-I got something to tell you… I saw it!"

"Saw what?"

"The Wuthering H-h-heights movie! What else! You know, those families are really-really disturbed!"

Christina shrugged. "That's ok. They're the only family I've ever known."

"Not for long" Max promised.

Christina looked down at her book. "I don't want to be used. I want a family. That can't be asking for too much, can it?"

"Would you look at that? The little freak came out here to wait for me."

John! Christina looked up, and screamed.

Max screamed too, and flashed back to Bryce's lab.

"Do Something! Hurry-hurry-hurry!"

"Ok!" Bryce's hands raced across the keyboard. "There. I've just informed the metros that John is suspected of being a terrorist, which probably isn't entirely false. I'll have Edison meet Christina where she is, at Café Joompeigh."

Back at the Café, Christina inched into a corner, as John approached her. She dropped into a chair, the sobs catching in her throat. She closed her eyes… She heard scuffling, and John yelling to be released.

"Did you do this, you little demon? Did you?!" John yelled at her.

Christina sighed in relief, as the cops took him away.

"Well-well, I guess we dodged that bullet. You ok?"

Christina looked at the TV, and smacked the side of it. "Thanks a lot for stalling me like that!"

"I'm sorry."

That's not good enough! You said I could trust you! I don't think I can anymore!" Christina swiped at the tears that fell from her eyes. She moved away from the tv. Across the screen flashed the words, "I am sorry."

Christina went back to the screen. "Max… I didn't mean… " Christina squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm so scared, Max! The metros won't keep him! He's gotta stay away from me, Max!"

"Then come with me," said a kind voice behind her. Christina turned and saw Edison.

"Please help me… please!" Christina begged.

"I will. It's alright. I know what happened to you, and it isn't your fault. Don't ever believe that it is."

Part 4

Christina's head was reeling. She had been genetically altered? How sick!

Christina blinked the tears away. How could someone do this to her?

"Why did you go back into the warehouse?" Edison asked.

"What? Oh… I went back for my book. I was hiding there, and when the fire started, I left in a hurry."

"Do you know what started it?"

"No."

Edison really wanted to know EVERYTHING about her. How she felt about her abilities. What did she want to be when she got older. Did her altered genes have something to do with her being so alert when she was running a very high fever? How many other kids were like her?

And at the same time, he didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

He made his choice then. He would wait. He would let her come to him.

They went to Network 23, and Edison quickly escorted her to Bryce's lab, then he went to get Theora.

"Cool. This is so cool!" Bryce said. He grabbed Christina by her wrist and pulled her over to the computers.

"Look! See this? You know what these are?"

"No… should I?"

"They're your brain waves! Isn't that neat?"

Max flipped onto the screen. "I-I-I don't think this is a good idea."

"Go away, Max!" Bryce pushed Christina into a chair. "Ok, guess what happened when I decoded them."

"Uh… I'd rather not!"

"BRYCE! I don't-I don't think that's what she needs right now-"

"I said get lost!" Bryce hit a switch and Max's screen went dark.

Christina gasped. "You didn't have to do that! Did you hurt him?!"

"He's fine! Ok, listen to this… "

Peeved, Max flipped onto Theora's screen. He saw her and Edison reading some papers.

"Why are you just sitting there-sitting there?" You better get to Bryce before he dissects her… Did you hear me?! He's gonna cut-cut open my fantasy girl!"

It took a lot of work, but Edison and Theora were able to convince Christina to stay. She refused to go near Bryce, and told him very firmly, "If you even try to tape wires to my head, I'm gonna make you eat 'em!"

Theora did some checking and it didn't surprise Christina to learn that the Stetsons were charged with the attempted kidnapping of several orphans from Sunrise Orphanage, about five years ago. Due to the Stetson's high-priced lawyers, they were acquitted.

"Theora, how many other kids might this have happened to?" Edison asked.

She looked warily at Bryce. Could it be possible?

"Hey, if you're wondering whether my genes have been altered, the answer is no!"

"You sure about that?" Theora asked.

"No… but even if they were, at least it didn't turn me into a freak!"

Christina jumped up and ran from the room. Edison followed her

"Christina, wait!"

She turned around. "I'm not a freak! I don't see something freaky when I look in the mirror! I see a healthy… strong…"

"He's not real good at being sympathetic… don't take it personally."

"I… can remember… when I was younger, … I called myself the dream warrior and I wanted to use my… I wanted to help people when I got older… I wanted to be a child psychologist."

"You can still have that… yes, you can! Look, I think we can find out who your family is. We can find profiles on the computer. If you even have a small knowledge of your past, we can use that in a search… and I'll make sure Bryce leaves you alone too."

Christina clasped her hands together.

"That will solve half my problems," she said as she looked at her hands.

Part 5

John sat at the bar, hunched over a cold cup of coffee. Breughel And Mahler approached him.

"We found that girl you were looking for." Breughel said.

"Do NOT call that beast a girl. I told you-"

"Ok. Relax, man. We found…it! That's the main thing."

"Need any more creds?"

"Nah. 10,000 should be enough."

"When do we go?"

Soon as she moves. Let's go out to the van. I should be getting a call soon."

Murray came down from the boardroom. "Cheviot hated it Theora! It'd make a great story, and Cheviot hated it." He looked over at Christina, who was watching a Wuthering Heights video in one of the editing rooms. "Maybe I should have her talk to him," he said thoughtfully.

"Murray, no! Look, she came to Edison for help, not to be put on television."

Edison called on the vidi-phone. Could Theora and Murray take Christina to his apartment? He had found the girl's grandfather, and wanted a quiet environment for the two to meet.

"Can I take the tape with me? To Edison's I mean." That was her only request.

On the way to Edison's, Theora turned around to face the back seat of the van and smiled at Christina.

"Everything will be ok, now. You don't have to be afraid anymore."

Christina sighed as she clutched the tape and her book to her chest. "The only person that truly scares me, is-" her words were cut off as Murray's van screeched to a halt.

"That looks like… "

"Breughel and Mahler's van! But what do they want with us?!"

"Who's that with them?"

Christina whimpered. It was John!

"Don't move… Christina, we won't let them take you."

John approached quickly. "Ok, witch, you've fooled around long enough. Get out… I SAID GET OUT!"

Christina gasped and began sobbing. "She reached for the door handle. "They won't hurt you if I go, " she insisted. She dropped her book and the tape.

As soon as the door was open, John grabbed her and yanked her out. It was up to Breughel and Mahler to restrain Murray and Theora.

"You little SORCERER!" John yelled at the shaking girl. "How dare you have the metros arrest me!"

"I know… I did a bad thing, and… I'll… go! I'll go with you John!"

"Oh, damn right you will!" He pushed her roughly towards a staircase going down to a park.

Murray turned to Mahler, who was holding him tightly. "How much did he give you? Well up the price… twice as much!"

"Leave her alone!" Theora yelled.

John looked at Christina. "Her? Ha-ha! It's not a her!" John grabbed Christina's jacket and began shaking her. She whimpered softly, but didn't struggle. John grabbed her hair, and Christina yelped in pain.

"This is not a girl! Don't you understand? It is an INFECTION! If it was up to me, I'd kill it and others like it!"

Max flipped onto the set that was sitting on a pedestal near the staircase.

"Let her-let her go, you fiend!"

He released Christina, picked up the set and threw it down the stairs. Christina watched horrified as it smashed to pieces. Enraged, she spit in his face.

John stood there.

Christina stood there.

Breughel and Mahler still held onto Murray and Theora, and they all watched in rapt attention

"MONSTEEEEER! WHO ARE YOU TO SPIT AT MEEEE?"

John lunged forward. He pulled Christina right off her feet. She kicked madly. "Let me go! LET ME GO, JOHN!" With that, she slapped her hand onto his face, and held it there.

The two of them collapsed to the ground. All was silent, save for pitiful moans coming from John. Christina looked up. The two thugs had released Theora and Murray and made a beeline for their van.

"All the creds in the city couldn't make me touch that girl!" Breughel was heard to say.

Christina looked at John and cried out.

"No! I didn't mean it! I didn't mean to hurt him!" Christina pulled herself to her feet. Theora ran to her, but the girl pulled away. "You can't touch me! I'll hurt you too!"

John was still alive. He crawled to his feet and clutched his face; it had been burned so badly, all the nerve endings were destroyed. So he felt no pain.

"You…little… FREAK! Spawn of HELL! I am going to kill you!"

John ran toward her. Christina dashed away, and John was in hot pursuit.

"Murray! What do we do?! We have to stop him!"

"Stop him?! Theora, she's lethal! We should beware of her!"

She wanted to get as far away as possible.

At first.

"He'll kill me, and he has a right to... I destroyed his face."

She rounded a third corner and stopped quickly.

There was finally a way out for Christina. She would let him kill her. Her miserable life would be over, and the world would be free of her deadly powers.

"Oh, for God's sake!"

"What the hell happened to him?"

Christina ran back around the corner. Five people were leaving a dinner party, and now stood a safe distance from a hobbling man whose face had been partially burned away.

Christina ran towards him.

"Hey, girlie, don't. It may be leprosy!"

John turned toward the speaking man. "Who has leprosy!?" He shouted. The energy surge had also rendered him deaf in one ear.

"Ak! No matter! All that matters to me now is-"

"I'm here, John!" Christina grabbed his arm.

"Yuh! You?!"

It was so quick. John's hand lashed out, slapping her hard across the face. A nanosecond later, she was on the ground, her head whirling, and blood dribbling from her cut tongue.

"Quick! Someone call the cops!" one of the diners yelled.

Christina staggered, righted herself, and began to sob quietly. John wrapped one arm around her throat and pulled her to her feet.

"Get up... now you listen, you little witch. Don't even touch me with those witch-hands of yours!" John grabbed her hair and pulled her to his chest.. She didn't cry out this time.

"Don't come... " Christina whispered. "Theora... Edison. Don't try and save me... I don't deserve it."

Her hands trembling, she braced herself against him as he clenched her throat tightly.

"I SAID DON'T TOUCH ME!"

"John! You don't understand... I want to die."

"Shutup! Don't talk, freak! Freaky mutants like you don't talk!"

She swallowed blood and gagged. Her eyes watered and her ears were ringing.

They sounded just like sirens...

"Kill me John! Do it, now!" she begged.

"Hey, you! Drop the girl! NOW!"

John turned around. A metrocop stood 20 feet away, her gun drawn.

"Don't you get it?! The freak must diiiiiie!"

Christina reached up for his face. Her idea worked, and she felt him wrench her head to one side.

A moment... or a year... seemed to pass. The single bullet tore into John's chest with a horroble crunching and squishing sound. He fell away from the terrified girl, stumbled back, and collapsed.

She stood there, shaking. The metro lowered her weapon.

"You're ok, now. Miss?"

Christina whirled around and fell to the ground beside John.

"... isn't fair," he whispered. "Why should I die and you live?"

"I wanted you to kill me... JOHN!"

"He can't hurt you anymore. Look, he's dead," she called.

Christina slumped over his battered chest, sobbing bitterly.

The metro who shot him approached Christina and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Miss, why are you crying? He would have killed you!"

"No," Christina sobbed "He would have freed me... "

Part 6

" 'The freak must die'! Those were his last words? What was that all about?" The desk sergeant wondered as he read the report.

The female metrocop looked over at Christina, who waited in a small room.

"She said she's one of them, and that's why he was trying to kill her… you know! Remember those studies they were doing in colleges twenty years ago, where the parents screwed around with their unborn kids' DNA and stuff?"

"Yeah, yeah! I know about that. I heard all those kids were stillborn. What a mistake! No wonder no one likes talking about it… Oh, speaking of dead folks, nice shot!"

"He should have released her when I told him to."

"Is it true that his face was all burned up?"

"The girl said she did it. That's one head the body banks will reject! Well, I better get her and go. Her family is waiting."

Christina wiped more tears from her eyes, as the female metrocop opened the door to the waiting room. "You ready Christina?"

She didn't answer, only uttered a heavy sigh.

After all of her struggles, she had lost. Now she would be taken to the Stetsons. God only knew what they would do to her.

In the back of the police van, Christina whispered a final plea of forgiveness to whoever might be listening.

"I am so sorry for everything that happened. Edison! I never got to thank you for being so nice to me… In spite of what you said… it is my fault. I knew it would happen, and I… I am so scuh-scared!"

The van stopped and the back doors opened! . !

Bryce stood there. He climbed in and sat down beside her.

"Before anything else… I wanted to say I'm sorry. I didn't mean to label you as a freak. Can you accept my apology?"

Why was he here?

"Ok, now that that's over with, come on!" He reached for her hand, than changed his mind and took her arm.

"You kids have a nice night," said the driver.

"Uh… I'm very confused. Bryce, what's going on!"

"You're getting a happy ending!"

With that, he took her into an apartment. Edison and Theora were there, and with some older man.

The old man stood and looked at her. He smiled kindly. "Hi, I'm… Luke, I-"

"Did the Stetson's send you for me?"

"No! Oh, God, no!" And he went to her and wrapped his arms around her. "They won't come near you, ever again! I promise!"

Christina pulled back. "Who are you?"

"I'm your grandfather… look. Look here. See, photos of your mother. God, you look so much like her. And the book. That was her favorite book, too… Edison Carter got in contact with me, and-"

"Where is my mother?"

"She was murdered, 15 years ago. They found her in her apartment, and you… apparently had been taken. How you wound up at the orphanage, I'll never know, but I have suspicions… Leland was your mother's physics professor at the university. He's the one who talked her into those experiments."

"They've… already adopted me… I belong to them now… don't I?"

She looked at Edison, who handed her some papers. "Max fixed it. He got into your file and rewrote it."

With that, Max flipped onto the screen. He smiled and said, "Let me-let me know if you want me to change it. I can adopt-adopt you as my fantasy girl!"

So everything was made right. Max helped her, just as he had promised to do. Christina would go live with her grandfather in New York, where he would teach her how to use her powers effectively. And she would know his love, and she would learn about her family, and the adventures that always seemed to find them.

But Edison knew she could never be truly safe. Society had made her, and rejected her. They looked the other way, because Christina and others like her had turned out to be something they didn't expect. Unless that changed, Christina would always be prey to those who would use her for their own personal gain…

To Be Continued...


End file.
